हाम्रो आवाज

The parties claimed that they will reach a solid agreement on the contentious political issues by tomorrow.

A meeting of the top leaders of the CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction reached close to a consensus on the demand for the provision of autonomous Terai region and ‘mass recruitment of the Madhesi people in the security bodies’ raised by the Madhes-based parties, the leaders attending the meeting claimed.

The parties are said to have agreed to restructure the nation by accepting the aspirations of the Madhesi people for Madhes state and the desire of the people of other region for autonomous regions.  

Emerging from the meeting, UML General Secretary Jhala Nath Khanal said that the parties have been attempting to make a consensus proposal to facilitate tomorrow’s CA meeting to make final decisions so as to reflect the spirit of all the past agreement.

Khanal, however, said that they have not been able to accept the demand of ‘one Madhes one state’.

“For example, we will be initiating the process to delineate autonomous regions considering the emotions of Madheisis, indigenous people and backward community, among others,” Khanal added.

Peace Minister and Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel said that today’s meeting have made quite an achievement.

“We have reached almost the final stage to prepare the supplementary bill draft and trying to take the consent of the Madhes-based parties,” Poudel added.

Likewise, the leaders also informed that the parties reached an understanding on proportional recruitment of the Madhesi people in the security bodies.

The marathon talks that lasted for around six-hour revolved around whether to mention ‘autonomous Madhes state’ in the amendment draft.

The three-party meet scheduled to begin this morning took place only later in the afternoon due to hectic intra-party parleys.

Madhesi lawmakers have been disrupting the Constituent Assembly (CA) session since past one week stating they will not allow the CA meet to resume until the supplementary amendment bill incorporating the issues raised by the Madhes-based parties is tabled.

The supplementary amendment bill is to be tabled at the CA session once the finalised supplementary draft is ratified by the Council of Ministers.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary session of the CA failed to take place today as well as the Madhesi lawmakers continued to disrupt the CA meeting for the seventh time by chanting slogans. (from:kantipur)